The Goods

Radical Goodies for Politically Engaged Readers

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Reading is a radical act. Books help us see the world through someone else’s eyes, understand different perspectives on difficult topics, and get a fuller picture of our past, present, and future. And many readers love books because they’re inherently political. You don’t have to read serious political nonfiction for your reading to impact your politics and view of the world. If you’re a radical reader who wants to wear your bookish politics on your sleeve, check out these goodies for politically engaged readers.

We’ve got antiracist, feminist, queer-affirming, and pro-library gifts to show everyone you encounter that you’re a book lover who believes the world can change for the better. All of these items come from Etsy. If you find yourself drawn to a design but not the item it’s displayed on, check out the creator’s page. Many of these makers offer the same message on stickers, totes, shirts, mugs, and more. Even better, some of these Etsy shops send a portion of your sale to nonprofits or advocacy organizations like the Southern Trans Youth Emergency Project, Indivisible Project, Planned Parenthood, and small, local anarchist bookstores. It’s truly a win-win! Alright, let’s get to those sweet political bookish goodies.

Photo of someone wearing a pink sweatshirt with an illustrated open book and the text "decolonize your bookshelf" in black
Image from HattieMaesDesigns on Etsy

Wearing your politics on your sleeve has never looked cooler than this “decolonize your bookshelf” sweatshirt. Available in sizes S-2XL. $48

Photo of an off-white tote with the phrase "read books and fight the patriarchy" in green font screenprinted
Image from angiepea on Etsy

Fight the patriarchy by filling this tote with feminist books. $23

Photo of a hand holding a vinyl sticker with an illustration of book spines and the text "read books and dismantle systems of oppression"
Image from FabulouslyFeminist on Etsy

There’s nothing more rad than reading books and dismantling systems of oppression. $5

photo of an embroidered keychain with a rainbow and text "read banned books"
Image from TheKeepingJar on Etsy

A reminder of your love of banned books will never be far away with this embroidered keychain. $12

Photo of a white mug with an illustrated stack of books and the phrase "the people banning books are never the good guys"
Image from CurlyDukeCo on Etsy

Be one of the good guys by fighting book bans and drinking out of this mug. $20

Image of a white tea towel with the phrase "imagine being afraid of books and drag queens" screenprinted in black font
Image from BlueRueCo on Etsy

This tea towel can bring drag queen story hour energy to your whole kitchen. $16

Image of a black and white trucker hat with the phrase "well-read women are a dangerous thing" on the front
Image from PembrokeAndCardigan on Etsy

Wear this well-read women trucker hat to make sure everyone knows you’re a dangerous thing. $28

Image of a framed art piece with a pink background and a Black girl reading a book that says "read banned books" next to a stack of banned books
Image from danilawart on Etsy

This banned book downloadable is digital art, and it’s just what your home’s interior design has been missing. $12

Image of a dusty pink t-shirt with an illustration of a book and the phrase "i wanted to read dystopian novels, not live in one"
Image from CherryRevolutionary on Etsy

Dystopia sounded so much cooler in The Hunger Games, but here we are. Have a shirt. $26

Image of a lawn flag on an iron stand. The flag has an image of a knight on a horse and says "defend the public library"
Image from CancelEmpires on Etsy

Public libraries shouldn’t be radical, but this lawn flag will make your pro-library stance clear. $30


We hope you found some cool new goodies for politically engaged readers! You might also enjoy:

Pride in the Library: Gifts for Readers Celebrating LGBTQ+ People and Books

Celebrate the Right to Read with Stickers

Gifts for Indie Bookstore Lovers